Product Spotlight: Selective Pallet Racking

Selective pallet racking is ideal for any warehouse, offering direct access to each pallet, simple stock management and adaptation to any product volume, weight or size. The racking is designed and built to last; shelving units purchased today will still be in use decades from now. With the products visibly exposed on the racking, picking efficiency is increased, since only a single pallet sits on a shelf.

Interlake Mecalux’s upright racking sets itself apart from its competitors through the unique design of the rack, contributing to it’s over all function. The rack’s column uprights or struts are shaped like none other on the market.InterlakeMecalux’s U77 model offers seven bends, while models U80, U82, U101 and U122 offer nine bends for additional strength. The majority of competitor uprights only have the industry standard four bends.

InterlakeMecalux’s technical support engineer, Greg Hajdus explained the advantage of the extra bends, “Strength and stability of the rack are increased with having more bends in an upright’s column, leading to a higher storage capacity. Regardless, if two upright columns are the same gauge, the one with more bends will create a stronger backbone for the entire rack.”

InterlakeMecalux’s painting process is also unique to its selective shelving. Welded frame units come in a Vista Green powder coat finish, though custom hues are available. Powder coating the racking is beneficial because an even, durable coat covers the rack and inconsequential amounts of VOCs are released into the atmosphere. Bolted selective pallet rack units are painted in the well-known Mecalux Blue, using a paint process called cataphoresis, which is based off of electro-chemical processes. This method prohibits corrosion, offers an even coat, is more than durable enough for the everyday wear and tear of a warehouse and also releases negligible amounts of VOCs into the atmosphere. For its environmentally conscious painting techniques,InterlakeMecaluxwas awarded the prestigious ISO 14001, by the International Organization for Standards (ISO), which provides a foundation for a holistic approach to a company’s environmental policy.

The foundation ofInterlakeMecalux’s upright selective racking starts figuratively and literally at its endplates. The beam-to-upright connection, garnered through the piston automatic locking system remains its most unique feature. The locking system draws together under loads, creating the industry’s most secure connection, while also maximizing total capacity. The locking system engages immediately once a beam is seated within the slot of the upright but also allows for easy release if adjustments need to be made. The piston locking system is also damage and tamper proof, preventing disengagement during use.

Bolted rack is ideal for any application where selective racking is to be utilized. It’s far more cost-effective to ship than welded rack, because the structure can be broken down, thus not requiring as much space, which means more sections of rack can be shipped at a single time. Racks take abuse; there is no question about it. Being hit with forklifts, constantly storing and removing pallets and weather conditions all add to the wear and tear of a shelving unit, so repairs are inevitable. But, repairing a bolted rack is much easier and quicker than a welded unit. With a welded selective pallet rack, the damage piece needs to be torched or cut off, and a certified, experienced welder needs to be called in for the repair. Even then though, the weld may be faulty, having undercut or too much or too little heat or not enough flux core added to the weld. These problems don’t exist with bolted selective shelving. If repairs need be, a warehouse’s maintenance engineer can take care of them immediately. Also, if a welds breaks, the shelving’s structural integrity is in jeopardy, whereas with bolted units, even if the nut and washer come off of the bolt, the unit will still hold because the bolt is in place. However, all bolts have serrated nuts, keeping them securely in place. Bolted selective shelving is the staple of warehouse storage safety and productivity.